Say Animals Not Straying Out Of Gir, But Returning To Their Original Habitat
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN

Ahmedabad: Nearly five generations later, the King of the Jungle is reclaiming ancestral land! The Asiatic lion

Ahmedabad: Early birds among BT cotton farmers in Surendranagar and Bhavnagar districts have been bit by the millibug. Those farmers who had sown BT cotton just 20 to 25 days ago in their farms are the worst affected in Surendranagar and Bhavnagar districts. There are several cases where farmers have lost all their BT cotton crops. "I had sown the crop just 24 days ago. But today, I lost hope that it could survive after millibug attack on my farm. Now, I have to sow again,'' says a farmer, Sankar Golani of Sayla in Surendrangar district.

Farmers along the Gujarat coast should have been rejoicing at the prospect of a timely monsoon. Instead, they have suddenly become gloomy after unnaturally aggressive high tides have filled their fields and ponds with saline seawater. Many fear a drinking water crisis as their ponds, meant to store fresh rain water, are now brimming over with saline water. Farmers say they may not be able to cultivate anything for years together as their fields have become saline.

The Asiatic lions moving out of the Gir sanctuary have made Mitiyala, Bhavnagar and Amreli as their permanent home.